What is $100 in 1917 worth in 1921?

$100 in 1917 has the purchasing power of about $140 in 1921, based on the Consumer Price Index (CPI-U).

What was the average inflation rate between 1917 and 1921?

Prices rose 39.8% in total between 1917 and 1921, an average of 8.75% per year.

How much is $1 in 1917 worth today?

$1 in 1917 is equivalent to about $1.40 in 1921. Equivalently, a 1921 dollar buys what $0.72 bought in 1917.

U.S. inflation · 1917–1921

Value of $100 in 1917, adjusted to 1921

Amount From year To year

$100 in 1917 has the same buying power as

$140

in 1921

Detailed inflation statistics
Cumulative price change	39.8%
Average inflation rate	8.75% per year
Converted amount ($100 base)	$140
Price difference ($100 base)	$39.84
CPI in 1917	12.8
CPI in 1921	17.9
Inflation in 1917	17.43%
Inflation in 1921	-10.50%
$100 in 1917 → 1921	$140
$100 in 1921 → 1917	$71.51

What happened to prices between 1917 and 1921

Between 1917 and 1921, the Consumer Price Index went from 12.8 to 17.9. Cumulatively, prices increased 39.8%, which works out to an average of 8.75% per year. Put differently, a dollar in 1917 bought what $0.72 buys in 1921.

Common amounts: 1917 dollars in 1921

Amount in 1917	Value in 1921
$1.00	$1.40
$5.00	$6.99
$10.00	$13.98
$20.00	$27.97
$50.00	$69.92
$100	$140
$500	$699
$1,000	$1,398
$5,000	$6,992
$10,000	$13,984
$100,000	$139,844
$1,000,000	$1,398,437

Inflation by spending category, 1917–1921

The headline number is an average. Individual categories moved very differently over this period. Here is what $100 of 1917 spending costs in 1921, by category:

Category	Avg. yearly inflation	$100 in 1917 →
All items (CPI-U)	8.75%	$140
Apparel	13.23%	$164
Food	2.33%	$110

Not shown because the BLS began these indexes after 1917: core (all items less food & energy) (1957–), energy (1957–), housing (1967–), medical care (1935–), transportation (1935–), recreation (1993–), education & communication (1993–).

Year by year: CPI and the value of $100 from 1917

Year	CPI	Inflation rate	$100 from 1917
1917	12.8	17.4%	$100
1918	15.1	18.0%	$118
1919	17.3	14.6%	$135
1920	20	15.6%	$156
1921	17.9	-10.5%	$140

Cite this page

MLA: “Inflation from 1917 to 1921: $100 is worth $140 today.” InflationCalculator.com, U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data, https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/1917-to-1921/

APA: InflationCalculator.com. Inflation from 1917 to 1921. Based on U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics CPI-U data. Retrieved from https://inflationcalculator.com/inflation/1917-to-1921/

Source: U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, CPI-U annual averages (series CUUR0000SA0; category indexes listed on the data sources page). See how these numbers are calculated.